Stanley Unwin (publisher)
Sir Stanley Unwin | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Walter Stoneman, 1946. | |
| Born | Stanley Unwin 19 December 1884 |
| Died | 13 October 1968 (aged 83) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Burial place | Golders Green Crematorium |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Known for | Founder of Allen & Unwin |
| Spouse | Alice Mary Storr (m. 1914–1968) |
| Children |
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| Relatives |
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| Awards |
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Sir Stanley Unwin, KCMG (19 December 1884 – 13 October 1968) was a British publisher, who founded the Allen & Unwin publishing firm.[1]
Career
[edit]Unwin started his career at the publishing firm of his step-uncle Thomas Fisher Unwin. In 1914, Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in the firm George Allen and Sons, and established George Allen & Unwin, later to become Allen and Unwin.[2]
The company found success publishing authors such as Bertrand Russell, Sidney Webb, R. H. Tawney and Mahatma Gandhi.[2]
In the 1930s, Unwin published two bestsellers by Lancelot Hogben: Mathematics for the Million and Science for the Citizen.[3]
In 1936, J. R. R. Tolkien submitted The Hobbit for publication and Unwin paid his ten-year-old son Rayner Unwin a shilling to write a report on the manuscript.[4] Rayner's favourable response prompted Unwin to publish the book. Once the book became a success, Unwin asked Tolkien for a sequel, which eventually became the bestselling The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien had wanted to publish The Silmarillion, but it was turned down for being "too Celtic"; it was finally published after his death by Allen & Unwin in 1977.
In 1950, Unwin published another bestseller, Thor Heyerdahl's The Kon-Tiki Expedition.
During his career Unwin was active in book trade organs such as the Publishers Association, the International Publishers Association and the British Council.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Stanley Unwin was born on 19 December 1884 at 13 Handen Road, Lee, Lewisham, south-east London. His father was Edward Unwin (1840–1933) and his mother was Elizabeth Unwin (née Spicer). Edward Unwin was a printer whose father, Jacob Unwin, was the founder of the printing firm Unwin Brothers.
The publisher Thomas Fisher Unwin was his father's youngest stepbrother, therefore Stanley Unwin's step-uncle. The children's author Ursula Moray Williams was his niece.[5]
Unwin was a lifelong pacifist, and during the First World War, as a conscientious objector, he joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD).[6]
Unwin died on 13 October 1968 and was honoured with a blue plaque at his birthplace.
Gallery
[edit]-
His birthplace in Handen Road, Lewisham -
Blue Plaque on his birthplace.
Bibliography
[edit]- The Price of Books (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1925)
- The Truth About Publishing (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1926; 8th revised edition, Allen & Unwin, 1976)
- Book Trade Organisation in Norway and Sweden (1932)
- The Book in the Making (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1933)
- Two Young Men See the World (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1934). Joint author: Severn Storr.
- The Danish Book Trade Organisation (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1937)
- Best-sellers: Are They Born or Made? (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1939). Joint authors: George Stevens and Frank Swinnerton.
- Publishing in Peace and War (London : George Allen & Unwin, 1944)
- On Translations (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1946)
- How Governments Treat Books (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1950)
- The Truth About a Publisher: An Autobiographical Record (New York: Macmillan, 1960)
- Fifty Years with Father: A Relationship (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1982)
References
[edit]- ^ "Obituary: Sir Stanley Unwin". The Times. 15 October 1968. p. 13.
- ^ a b c "Stanley Unwin | Authors | Faber & Faber". www.faber.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ Primers for the Age of Plenty (George Allen & Unwin) - Book Series List, publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ Plimmer, Charlotte and Denis (21 October 2015). "JRR Tolkien: 'Film my books? Its easier to film the Odyssey'". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ "Obituaries: Ursula Moray Williams". The Independent. London, UK: INM. 7 November 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography.
Further reading
[edit]- Philip Unwin, The Publishing Unwins (London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1972)
- Philip Unwin, The Printing Unwins (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1976)
